Monday, October 13, 2008

Hey! Long time no see! Thanks for stopping by - I've been pretty busy with life, and haven't had much time to dedicate to writing. Looks like things will be a little easier from here on out though. This is just the first post of a few I have planned - more DA 7400 stuff, some Mavic things, and as you might guess, some more Merckx stuff.

In the mid-1990's, Merckx started marketing its own clipless pedal system, called the Podio. I have no idea how they were marketed in Europe, but here in the US, I never heard about them.

The cleats are fairly low profile, with what looks to be a non-standard bolt pattern. I don't know if third-party Podio shoes ever existed - the only ones I've seen are Podio branded. I think I heard somewhere they were made by Adidas, but I don't have a pair or have any way to prove/disprove that.

Sidi makes a Podio adapter plate. Not sure how easy it is to find, but I suspect it could be special ordered.

The cleats slide in from the back, and you twist to remove. Pretty normal. Tension is adjusted via a screw on the back. I assume they have no float.

Merckx still sells these. They're not distributed by Gita Bike in the US, as far as I can tell. I've never heard of any Merckx sponsored team riding them either. Matter of fact, the only person I've heard of riding these is the man himself.

I am using these Podio pedals too. Like them a lot because the surface of these pedals is the largest I have seen so far.Problem for me is that I need a large shoe, small pedals (carbon shoe or not) always give me a lot of pain in my feet.So the bigger the pedal the better the forces of pedaling are being transformed in forward movement instead of my feet is bending the sole of my cycle shoes.

About Me

Why yes, I DO buy and sell old bike parts, with an obvious bias towards Mavic. If you have anything you think I might be interested in, particularly things that are new and in the box, don't hesitate to email me.
And if you have any questions or comments in general, also don't hesitate to email me! blogs at tears for gears dot com